Storm door pressure and vacuum release valve



Dc'. s, 1970 R Y A 3,545,131

STORM DOOR PRESSURE 'AND VACUUM RELEASHVALVE Filed Nov. 12, 1968 {1INVENTORQ United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A storm doorhaving a vent opening with a valve mounted in the vent opening forrelieving vacuum pressure between the storm door and house door when thedoors move away from each other and for relieving high pressure betweenthe storm door and house door when the doors move toward each other.

This invention relates generally to storm doors and is particularlyconcerned with an outwardly opening storm door adapted to be mounted ina doorway for cooperation with an, inwardly opening house door andhaving means operable to'relieve vacuum pressure when the doors moveaway'from each other and to relieve high pressure between the doors whenthe doors move toward each other.

During the cold months of the year, it is common to replace screen doorswith storm doors to provide a space between the doors separated fromboth the inside air and the outside air to decrease the heat lossthrough the doorway. DifiFiculty is sometimes encountered in opening andclosing the doors because of the volume of air trapped in the spacebetween the doors when they are in their closed positions. For example,in order to open either door, or move the doors away from each other,there is a tendency for ava'cuum to be created between the doors toresist the opening force on the doors. On the other hand, acushion ofair is trapped between the doors when they are moved toward each otherto the closed positions which resists the closing force. As a result, itfrequently occurs that a storm door does not fully close and theinsulating effect is thus lost or curtailed.

An object of this invention is to provide means for re lieving vacuumpressure between a a storm door and house doorwhen the doors are movedaway from each other and operable to relieve high pressure between thestorm door and house door When the doors are moved toward each other.

In carrying out the foregoing, and other objects, a storm door accordingto the present invention has a vent opening defined in the door withvalve means mounted in the vent opening operable to permit flow throughthe Opening in a direction to relieve vacuum pressure when the stormdoor and house door move away from each other, and in a direction torelieve high pressure between the doors when the storm door and housedoor move toward each other.

The valve means is pressure responsive for movement between a closedposition closing the vent opening, and open positions on either side ofthe storm door panel to permit air fiow through the vent opening. Whenthe doors are moved away from each other; that is, when one of the doorsis opened from a closed position, the valve opens in response to thepressure diiferential on opposite sides of the door being opened andpermits outside air to flow through the vent opening into the spacebetween the doors until the pressure is equalized on both sides of thestorm door, after which the valve closes to shut off communicationbetween outside air and the space between the doors. When one of thedoors is moved from an open to closed position, the pressure in thespace between the "ice doors increases causing the valve to open in adirection to expel the excess pressure to the outside through the ventuntil the pressure on both sides of the storm door is equalized, afterwhich the valve returns to its closed position. The valve means may bebiased against movement from its closed position by a spring. The springmay react only in one direction so as to restrain the valve meansagainst opening inwardly to admit outside air but permitting the valveto move freely in a direction to permit air to flow to the outside fromthe space between the doors. Other objects, advantages and features ofthe invention will become apparent from the following description takenin connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a storm door embodying the'invention; I

I 'FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on lines 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the open positions of the valveillustrated; and

FIG. 4 is a view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 2.

With reference to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a doorway having anoutwardly opening storm door 12 mounted in the doorway for cooperationwith an inwardly opening house door 10. The storm door 12 cmprises panelmeans 14, 16, 18, and a vent pening 20 is defined in panel 18. Valvemeans 22 is mounted in the vent opening operable to permit flow throughthe vent opening in a direction to relieve vacuum pressure between thestorm door and house door when the doors move away from each other andin direction to relieve high pressure between the storm door and housedoor when the doors move toward each other.

Valve 22 is pressure responsive for movement between a closed position(FIG. 2) closing the vent opening 20 and separating the space betweendoors 10 and 12 from outside air, and open positions (FIG. 3) on eitherside of panel 18 to permit air flow through the vent opening 20. Valve22 is biased against movement from its closed position in one directionby biasing means 24, and is mounted for pivotal movement between itsclosed and open positions on a pivot pin 26 mounted on the door andextending across the vent opening. Furthermore, valve 22 is mountedadjacent its upper edge on pin 26 such that the weight of the valveurges it toward its closed position.

The biasing means 24 is in the form of a spring reacting between thedoor panel, or structure surrounding the vent opening, and valve 22, forresiliently resisting movement of the valve in the inwardly openingdirection from the closed position. The spring comprises a coil springmounted on pin 26 with an extension 28 engageable with one side of thepanel and an extension 30 on the other end engageable with one side ofthe valve. In the illustrated embodiment, the valve can freely open in adirection to permit the escape of air from the space between doors 10and 12 to the outside, but the extension 30 of spring 24 resilientlyrestrains the valve from opening to the phantom line position in FIG. 3to permit outside air to flow into the space between the doors.

While the valve assembly can be mounted directly on a storm door, in theillustrated embodiment, the assembly may be installed as a separate uniton a door and includes a mounting frame 32 with an opening 34 definedtherein. Mounting holes 36 are provided at the comers of the mountingframe 32 for receiving screws or other conventional fasteners 38 forattaching the assembly to the storm door or panel adjacent a ventopening 20 which may be formed at any desired location provided in thedoor panel.

As shown in FIG. 1, the storm door includes a frame 40 adapted to behinged at 42 in the doorway; and a lower kick panel 16, a center panel18 or cross frame member, and a glass panel 1; are mounted in the frame40 for enclosing the space surrounded by the frame.

Thus, to install an assembly according to this invention on aconventional door, it is only necessary to provide a vent openingsufliciently large to permit the valve 22 to swing through as Shown inFIG. 3 in the full and phantom line positions, and to provide mountingholes for receiving the fasteners 38. The valve can be restrained inboth directions against movement from its closed position of FIG. 2, butin the illustrated embodiment, it is restrained only against movement tothe phantom line position of FIG. 3 to permit outside air to flowbetween the doors through openings 20 and 34. Thus, there is somewhatgreater resistance to opening the valve when the house door 10 is openedwith the storm door .closed to thereby lessen the amount of outside airpulled in through the openings 20 and 34.

While a specific form of the invention has been illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and described in the foregoing specification, itshould be understood that the invention is not limited to the exactconstruction shown, but that various alternatives in the constructionand arrangement of parts will be apparent to those skilled in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An outwardly opening storm door adapted to be mounted in a doorwayfor cooperation with an inwardly opening house door comprising: panelmeans on the storm door; a vent opening defined in said panel means; apair of pivot pin receiving members, one of which is secured to saidpanel means on one side of said vent opening and the other of which issecured to said panel means on the other side of said vent opening; apivot pin having its ends journalled in said pivot pin receiving membersand extending across said vent opening; a one-piece valve elementmounted on said pivot pin adjacent the upper edge of said valve element,said valve element having the same shape as said vent opening but beingslightly smaller than said vent opening and thereby operable to swingfrom a normally closed position extending across said vent openingthrough said vent opening in both directions about .theaxis of saidpivot pin; a coil spring mounted on one end of said pin between saidvalve element and the adjacent pivot pin receiving member with anextension on one end of said spring engageable with one side of saidpanel and an extension on the other end of said spring engageable withthe corresponding side of said valve element but on the opposite side ofthe axis of said pin for resiliently resisting movement of said valveelement from the closed position in one direction only.

2. A storm door valve assembly adapted to be mounted in a vent openingof a storm door comprising: a mounting frame; a vent opening defined insaid mounting frame; a pair of pivot pin receiving members, one of whichis secured to said frame on one side of said vent opening and the otherof which is secured to said frame on the other side of said ventopening, a pivot pin having its ends journalled in said pivot pinreceiving members and extending across 'said vent opening; a one-piecevalve element mounted on said pivot pin adjacent the upper edge of saidvalve element, said valve element having the same shape as said ventopening but being slightly smaller than said vent opening and therebyoperable to swing from a normally closed position extending across saidvent opening through said vent opening in both directions about the axisof said pivot pin; a coil spring mounted on one end of said pin betweensaid valve element and the adjacent pivot pin receiving member with anextension on one end of said spring engageable with one side of saidframe and an extension on the other end engageable wtih thecorresponding side of said valve element but on the opposite side of theaxis of said pin for resiliently resisting movement of said valveelement from the closed position in one direction only.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,614,189 1/1927 Donachy 49-169X1,911,825 5/1933 Hofer 49-171X 2,774,116 12/1956 Wolverton 49171X3,123,867 3/1964 Combs 49171X 1,721,223 7/1929 Kern 49-169X KENNETHDOWNEY, Primary Examiner

